James Pattinson to have abdominal surgery

Australian spearhead James Pattinson will have abdominal surgery on Friday, but the setback is not expected to sideline him from the Ashes.

Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed in a statement on Thursday that Pattinson would go under the knife for a "non-cricket related medical condition", putting him out of action for a month.

It means Pattinson, like national captain Michael Clarke, will miss the Indian Premier League.

He will be racing the clock to return in time for Australia's Champions Trophy campaign in England, which begins with a one-day match against the hosts on June 8.

The tourists' final Ashes preparations then start with a four-day game against Somerset on June 26-29, with the first Test at Trent Bridge starting on July 10.

"His preparation for the Ashes is not expected to be affected but his availability for the ICC Champions Trophy will be determined at a later stage," CA's chief medical officer Justin Paoloni said in a statement.

Paoloni said the issue had been troubling Pattinson during the latter part of the recent Test tour of India.

"James has undergone tests and consulted specialists since returning from India, and it was felt that surgery is absolutely necessary at this time.

"The recovery times will be determined once the surgery is completed but James is expected to return to training in approximately four weeks."

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